Lifelong friends become WHL Championship Series foes in Edmonton homecoming

Edmonton, Alta. – Friends off the ice, WHL Championship rivals on it.

Edmonton products Luke Prokop and Lucas Ciona have seen a lot of each other growing up and now, the two NHL prospects are part of a hefty contingent of players taking part in the first leg of the 2022 WHL Championship Series here in their hometown.

Prokop, a prospect of the Nashville Predators, grew up playing with Calgary Flames draftee Ciona and while their paths don’t frequently cross on the WHL trail, they and other Edmonton-area stars have found themselves on a collision course this weekend, with the Ed Chynoweth Cup awaiting the victor.

“Me and [Ciona] hang out quite a bit in the summer, and I went to school with [Thunderbirds forward] Jared Davidson, so I know their game styles pretty well,” Prokop said before Friday’s Game 1.

“I know Prokop, and me and [Oil Kings forward Dylan] Guenther have played a lot of hockey together, so we’re good buddies too,” Ciona noted. “There are no surprises, we golf together, and this series is for all the bragging rights.”

And if this series were played over 18 holes, Ciona and the Thunderbirds would have the honours walking up to the second tee following a 2-1 victory in Friday’s Game 1.

Ciona finished the evening with a pair of shots on goal, while Prokop assisted on Edmonton’s lone marker in the third period.

The Oil Kings defenceman skated at the Canadian Athletic Club before entering the Canadian Sport School Hockey League in 2016-17.

Ciona plied his trade at Edmonton’s South Side Athletic Club, but wound up at the same Northern Alberta X-Treme academy as Prokop in the fall of 2017.

One thing they both agree on: being back in the Alberta capital is an added bonus to what’s already become a memorable spring.

“We all train together in the summer, so we’ve hung out before,” said Prokop. “For the guys to be at home and their families to be able to come to the rink and watch them play, I’m sure it’s special because when they go on to pro hockey, they won’t be able to do it as much so I’m sure they’re cherishing it right now.”

“It’s super fun. We’ve got a lot of Alberta boys, and it’s going to be fun to play against some friends,” Ciona added.

And when it comes time to (eventually) hit the links, Ciona and company are leaving no doubt as to what’s on the line.

“We want to bring Ed Chynoweth with us instead of them.”

Game 2 of the 2022 WHL Championship Series is set for Sunday, June 5 (4:00 p.m., Rogers Place). The series will shift to Kent, Wash. for Games 3 and 4 Tuesday, June 7 and Wednesday, June 8.

TSN will broadcast Games 3 through 7 live across its national network.